Gender in Twelfth Night and Volpone

talk of the town about women in Shakespeares plays is talk of the town about men too. Shakespeare suddenly rejected the idea of separating genders in all aspects; physically, intellectually and spiritually. Theres no resemblance with the transitional tip from the medieval time to the groundbreaking period (the spiritual rebirth) when Twelfth nighttime was written, Ben Jonson on the other grimace did not invent cross-gender modeling - masculine actors portrayed women in all Elizabethans drama; entirely the antics of Dol Common and whippy in The Alchemist reveal the womens identities as susceptible to change as some(prenominal). When Surly tells Pliant he has rescued her honor and preservd [her as] a womanhood, he is mistaken. A womans reputation, equal riches, is not easy to defend in Jonsons world, if the woman is a man. (Joel Schechter, Berkeley Repertory Theatre program, February 2000.) The Renaissance was a culture encompassing of negations. In this particular cu lture, women were laboured to be chthonian the enclose of men, mainly because they needed young-begetting(prenominal) protection. A perfect typesetters case is Celia in Volpone. This simile linking Celias sex- stir with the appeal of amber: Bright as your gold ! And lovely as your gold! made by Mosca whets Volpones post in her, by canvass Volpones main addiction (money) with her. Volpone enjoys the cunning purchase of his wealth more(prenominal) than the glad possession, so he will as swell enjoy the challenge of seducing a woman who is married and problematical to get. A womans individuality was by truth integrated with the one of her male guardian: Shes kept as warily as your gold Celia was under Corvinos control. She is kept shut up at home, guarded by spies. The inferiority women had enforced on them to be decent, silent, and respectful. As women were judged as being inferior to men, cross-dressing bring on an important change of emplacement in society. If a woman pretended to be a man in any aspect, she actually was assuming more rights than she was designated to. It was onl...